Another step
by mimijag
Summary: This is another piece that can be read alone or as a sequel of A new beginning. It's been two years since Aramis accepted the position as First minister and now, some matter comes in the way. Fluffy and sexy time...


This is another piece that can be read alone or as a sequel of A new beginning. Thank you for those who send feedbacks and reviews the last time. it did motivate me to continue with Anamis. Also, thank you to Skinnycat77 for the beta and sorry in advance for ruining your life as you're about to start watching the show because of me...I'm kidding. I hope you'll like it my friend! So now, I stop the rambling and hope you'll enjoy this piece. reviews are more than welcome!

 **ANOTHER STEP**

Anne woke up with a startle, a feeling of loneliness disturbing her deep sleep. She shivered then realized that she was alone in the big bed of her first minister, the warmth of her lover missing. During these last two years, they managed to always wake up together and she could count on the fingers of one hand the mornings she didn't get to wake up in his arms, usually with him spooning her from behind, keeping her in a cocoon of heat and tenderness.

Maybe he had been summoned for a state affair? And with the way he had worshipped her body during the night, it was no wonder she didn't hear a thing.

The room was dimly lit by the fire he probably started before leaving and the slight glimmer coming from outside as the day was slowly rising. Anne rolled over, her body meeting nothing else than a cold space meaning he had been up for quite some time and she squeezed the sheet against her naked body.

That's when she saw his figure standing out against one of the windows where the curtain had been opened. He seemed lost in his thoughts; his naked body draped with the plaid she used in the evening to join him in his chamber. Her heart heaved, wondering what was keeping him awake and away from her.

"Aramis?" she called softly, not wanting to startle him.

Nothing more than silence answered her and she reached towards the floor for something to wear, determined to join him and ease his apparently anguished mind. The first thing she grabbed was Aramis' shirt and she pulled it on, the cloth visibly too big for her and stopping at mid thigh.

She tiptoed to him, wincing when the cold floor made contact with her bare feet and she kept in mind to later beg him to accept some carpets. He had been adamant from the start of his minister to keep things as simple as possible and it was close to impossible to make him accept anything more than what was strictly necessary. But it had been one of his conditions so she accepted it. But still, she could try…

She finally reached him and, if he had heard her, he didn't show any sign. He was still lost in his thoughts, his eyes locked somewhere in the palace's gardens.

Her worry rose just a little bit at the fact he hadn't acknowledged her presence, thinking that, maybe, the problem was even bigger than what she first thought.

She leaned nonchalantly against the wall just next to him and started to watch him in silence, waiting for him to talk. He had to know now that she was here but still, he didn't react.

"What's keeping my dear first minister out of bed at such an early hour in the morning?" she asked softly.

He slowly turned to her and drank in her small figure covered by his thin, transparent shirt, his eyes scanning her from head to toe, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

"God, you're so beautiful…" he breathed.

If he wasn't so preoccupied, he could have taken her right there, right now. But he had matters to discuss with her and they were serious enough to get him out of bed and away from her warm and gorgeous body.

Anne looked down and blushed like each time he made such declarations to her. It also meant she was constantly blushing when he was around, still not used to being the center of such attentions and compliments. When they started their relationship, she was almost a virgin in regard to the bedroom and the pleasures you could have in it. Her husband only visited her to fulfill his duty and she knew nothing but pain and awkwardness. Then, she spent a night with Aramis and it opened her eyes to the possibilities she never thought about. Since then, Aramis had been a fabulous and patient teacher and she could never thank God enough to have made him accept her offer.

And Athos that's it.

When she looked up again, he was still staring at her but she could see the worry on his face as he wanted to say something to her but wasn't sure what would be her reaction. He opened his mouth several times as he was about to speak but closed it each time, shaking his head.

"Are you tired of me?" she asked bluntly.

Aramis's eyes went wide at her declaration.

"Wh…What?"

"Are you regretting your late life? Are you bored? If so, I promised to let you go if…"

Anne didn't get to finish her sentence as Aramis pulled her to him, engulfing her in a tight embrace against him, her back to his chest. He draped the plaid again around their two bodies.

"I already told you once that I'll never get tired of you both," he breathed against her ear, sending an exquisite shiver through her body that had nothing to do with the chilly atmosphere of the room. "And what could possibly make you think about such a thing after this night?" he asked, tilting her chin tenderly with one of his hands.

He kissed her softly, an amused sparkle in the eye.

"Or else, you're very good at faking, my Queen."

Anne blushed again at remembering the previous hours and he hugged her even more tightly against him, the silence filling the room once again. But she knew him well enough now to know he would talk to her when he is ready.

"It's snowing," he said after some time, his voice echoing in the bedroom where only the cracking of the fire was disturbing the silence.

"Louis will be excited," she answered, the smile evident in her voice.

Cuddled together under the plaid, his naked body pressed against her barely covered one, they were both looking outside at the falling snow, each of them knowing very well what the other was thinking at this precise moment.

How could they forget that morning, only a few months after he accepted her offer, when their son stormed into his mother's room…

" _Mother! Mother! It's snowing! It's snowing!"_

 _The little king clad in his night shirt was running excitedly toward the large window, jumping around the space with squeals of delight, barely looking at his mother's bed on the other side of the room._

" _It's snowing!" he repeated as she didn't answer._

 _Breathless, the Queen was doing her best to look as normal as possible when she was feeling anything but that. How could she possibly when her handsome first minister had the good idea to wake her up in the sexiest way? So now, she was on the edge of an amazing orgasm and had to deal with a man hiding under the covers and buried between her legs, silently playing with her sanity and a young boy bouncing in her chamber as if nothing else mattered._

" _Louis, what are you doing here?" she managed, wondering how he had escaped his nurse._

 _She winced at the sound of her own voice that sounded more like a moan than a reprimand._

" _I want to go out!" told the child._

" _It's still too early for that! Go back to bed!" she said more firmly, squeezing her legs as a warning to try and stop Aramis' ministration._

 _The child started to pout and Anne wanted nothing more than to get up and try to reason with him but she couldn't possibly do it without revealing Aramis' presence. And she wasn't ready to explain it to her son. To their son._

 _Louis looked at his mother as he was about to insist but she finally saw some sort of acceptance on his face and she let go a breath of relief._

" _Alright," he said. "But promise me we'll go to play in the snow later."_

" _I promise," she answered with a tender smile._

 _The child smiled brightly at her, satisfied and started to run back to the door when he stopped there and turned around to the bed, a lopsided smile she knew so well on his face._

" _Good morning, Aramis!" said the child before closing the door behind him, leaving both his parents in shock._

And since that day, they decided that Anne's chamber was out of reach and that it was better for them to use Aramis' room.

"It was a close call that day…" chuckled Aramis.

"This child is too smart for his own good."

"With you as his mother and me as his father, what would you expect?"

Anne knocked him with her elbow in his chest and he chuckled a little more loudly.

"What?! This is true! And I suppose it's a good thing for a king."

"Yes, I suppose…"

"You know…he asked me if I love you."

"What? When?" asked Anne, slightly turning in his arms and looking up at him.

"A few weeks ago. We just finished with some sword practice and were walking back to the palace. He just asked without any preamble."

"What did you say?"

He looked down at her, smiling, his right hand slowly sliding up from her waist to her breast, caressing gently.

"That yes, I loved you. As I loved him. That I was both at your command and happy to serve you."

"Did he accept this answer?"

Aramis chuckled and hugged her tightly against him, his groin pleasantly brushing her backside.

"You know your son…he went on saying he never saw you smile as much as you have been since I started my minister. And that he was happy to see you happy. And, with all the "king attitude" he could manage, he asked me to keep it that way."

"Sounds like we have the blessing from our eight years old son my Love."

"Sounds like it, My Queen."

But this realization also reminded Aramis what he needed to tell her and that the blessing of their son may not mean anything in the future. He sighed deeply and disengaged himself from their embrace, taking a few steps back. The lack of contact and the plaid gone, made Anne shiver, but from cold this time.

"What is it?" she asked, suddenly dreading his answer.

Aramis was back to the bed now and he let himself fall upon the soft mattress, the plaid forgotten somewhere on the floor. Naked he took his head in his hands, his fingers playing in his hair, the gesture showing some discouragement.

From the other side of the room, Anne was looking at him, her heart squeezing at his obvious distress. What could possibly make him feel so down?

Aramis finally looked up and he leaned forward, his forearms on his knees, hands crossed.

"The council wants you to remarry," he blurted out.

"Wh…What?"

"You heard me. Please, don't make me repeat it," he begged, his brown eyes imploring her.

"But…Why?" she asked, walking to him.

She stopped in front of him and reached for his hands. She took one in hers and repeated her question.

"Why would they want that?"

Aramis only shrugged and Anne pushed slightly at his shoulders so she could sit on his lap. He welcomed her, his arms sliding around her small waist, his chin resting on her shoulder.

"They started to talk about it a few weeks ago and have been pressuring me since then to talk to you about it. They want me to convince you that it is a good idea."

"But why? The throne has an heir; we're finally at peace…"

"They say that it would strengthen France and replenished the State coffers."

"Is it that bad?"

"The situation isn't desperate but it could be better. The war was costly. And now, I'm running out of ways to refuse their proposition without being suspect."

Anne slid her hand in his hair before kissing the top of his head.

"You should have told me sooner."

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to talk to you about it at all."

"Are they expecting an answer right away?"

"No. For now, it's just a suggestion but you know how they can be pressuring when they want something. Once the idea has been thrown, nothing can stop them. The both of us may not be enough against them."

"I'm the Queen. They can't force me if I decided otherwise."

"There's still the reason of state…" Aramis breathed, some despair in his voice.

"I have no intention to share the bed of another man except yours," she said firmly.

"I won't be able to do it, you know…I can't stay here, at my position, with you married to another man. It would kill me slowly."

"There's a chance that it won't happen."

"But what if…"

"Aramis," she said her hand on his face to turn it toward her. "It won't happen, I promise."

"You can't promise such a thing. They may…"

"They can't possibly ask me to marry another man when I'm already married, right?" she asked, her eyes shining with mischief.

"What?"

Anne laughed softly and slid from his lap to the floor where she kneeled in front of him.

" Chevalier René d'Herblay, will you marry me?" she asked taking both his hands in hers, looking up at him with adoration but also expectation.

Aramis looked down at her, gasping. Was it really happening? Maybe he was still asleep and was just dreaming the whole thing?

"Has the Queen just embarrassed herself or are you going to put her out of her misery by answering?" Anne asked, suddenly unsure.

As he was still not answering, Anne's heart broke a little bit and she did her best to try and get up, her legs having decided all of sudden to not cooperate with her.

She tumbled forward slightly and he caught her pulling her after him as he was getting up. Once at his eyes level, she did her best to look at anything but him, embarrassed.

"Ana," he breathed softly, knowing that calling her in Spanish would get her attention. "You know there's nothing I want as much as to become your husband. But what if they…"

"Then we will be married and there's nothing they could do about it. We'll face them together. My duty to France is fulfilled. I can marry anyone I want now," she interrupted.

"Even below you…?"

"You're the first minister. You're not so below me. And even if you weren't, I…" she stopped and took a few steps away from him. "Unless, YOU don't want to marry me. It was one of your conditions. I thought you'd be happy," she angrily stated.

"Me alegra me amor*. You just took me by surprise, that's all. And to be honest, I thought I would be a little bit more dressed when one of us would propose to the other one."

She saw him looking down at himself and she suddenly realized their state of nakedness. She started to giggle and he joined her, opening his arms for her to come to him.

"Te amo," she said, linking her arms around his waist.

"Te amo más que todo el mundo mi reina"** he answered.

He tenderly took her face in his hands and he kissed her slowly, both savoring this new turn in their relationship. Very quickly, things were escalating toward more and he maneuvered them so they fell on the bed, in a tangled giggling mess. Once their laugh subsided, Anne safely nested under him, he framed her face in his hands and looked in her eyes.

"You know that it doesn't resolve anything, don't you? They'll still push for you to marry again."

"Then we'll push back. All that matters is that we'll be together and therefore, stronger together. We'll keep it for us and only reveal it if necessary. But, to be honest, I think they'll tire first in dealing with a stubborn Spanish queen."

"That's not my saying," deadpanned Aramis.

Anne reached up to spank him but he was faster and he held her arm above her head, pinning her tighter under him, his desire obvious against her thighs. He then started to shower her face then her neck with kisses.

"When do you want to do it?" he asked when he reached her right breast that was peeking out of his loose shirt collar.

Anne moaned loudly when he started to play his tongue on the pink button.

"As soon as possible," she breathed heavily. "I thought we could ask Constance and D'Artagnan to be our witness and Father Andre from Douai could perform the ceremony. We…we can count on their discretion."

Aramis' ministrations were starting to make it difficult for her to focus on things.

"Hmmm", muttered Aramis against her skin. "I see you already have everything planned. But I think I mustn't do a great job as you're talking too much."

"You asked," she panted when his mouth slid lower across her belly after he lifted his shirt that was in the way.

He smiled against her skin and looked up to her from his place. Sensing he had stopped, she looked down and he smiled tenderly at her.

"Now, no more talking," he ordered and Anne would have giggled if his mouth wasn't doing such amazing things to her body.

The road was still long to convince the council to give up this stupid idea and until they could breathe freely but, definitively, being married to this man will be quite interesting.

 **The end**

According to freetranslation

*I'm happy my love

**I love you more than the world itself my queen


End file.
